Twin Pillars, Our Investment Philosophy

Art investing is like sailing the Roaring Forties. If you choose to sail upon the seas of art market, we build your collection as you would your boat, with the strength to sail safely through any storm. We rely on our 20 years of experience in the art market to build your ship and to provide accurate maps that keep ship safe at sea. We deliver complete and correct 360 degrees view of the art market so that investors get in-depth knowledge before taking any risks. We provide safe harbor for our clients’ assets over the long term, through twin pillars of our investment philosophy: market intelligence and liquid rarity.

Market Intelligence

Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?

The main issue is the difficulty to distinguish the real market intelligence from the ever-increasing flood of information. For a sailor crossing the Cape Horn, the forecast average speed and direction of winds in Pacific Ocean is completely useless. So useless are the all the free and beautiful recycled charts with sales turnover or average prices for the investors in art. Most investors default to the same standard free sources of information (just look at news after records breaks at contemporary art auctions), without knowing what is beyond.The market intelligence we sell for investors is like the portolan charts for navigators; the collection of sailing directions to safe harbors for clients’ assets over the long term.

Liquid Rarity

Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?

We don't sum up the sales of Warhol, Portinari and El Greco to get a meaningless upward moving average and then advise investors that today is the day to buy the works of an artist who have emerged yesterday full-blown from the sea foam. Actually, it is known that 99.5% of sold paintings are never resold, they are the millstones around investor's neck. Not all the others 0.5% are valuable as diamonds, but it is our job to search for liquid rarity among them. The timeless values are for the investors what the magnetic compass is for the sailors, the safe harbors for clients’ assets being the liquid rarity among of the timeless values. That's what we do for investors, we search and find the liquid rarity of the art market.

You might wonder why we use the analogy with instruments from Age of Discovery namely portolan maps and magnetic compass, instead of the actual and infinitely more precise Global Positioning System. The truth is there is neither such a precise tool for predicting return of investments in the art market nor for any other market. But with our connoiseurship we minimize the risk of the unpredictable and unregulated art market by picking up with pinpoint precision the artworks with both timeless beauty and liquid rarity.

Assignments. What set us apart from others?

Independence

We act independently, objectively, with no conflicts of interest and always to the advantage of our client. As art adviser policy is to keep off from recommending our own items from Auctions.

Personalized service

Our highly personalized approach to service has several implications on how we operate, we choose to stay small, giving advice and recommendations to a limited number of clients with whom we have common values.

Guidance. What advice would Calusari give to new investors?

'I have paid L. Cincius HS. 20,400 for the Megarian statues in accordance with your earlier letter. I am already quite enchanted with your Pentelic herms with bronze heads, about which you write to me, please send them and the statues and any other things you think would do credit for the place in question and to my enthusiasm and to your good taste as many and as soon as possible...If a ship of Lentulus' is not available, put them aboard any you think fit.'

We do not give to the prospective clients a free advice, but the Cicero's Letters to Atticus (68-59 B.C.) is the preview for anyone interested in our services. Greek Art has always been highly sought after. Unlike cash, or contemporary design its supply cannot be increased at will, which means that it provides the best foundation for the long-term investment of money. This does not mean that we advice clients to invest in Greek art, actually it is not unusual that we recommend Contemporary Art instead of a Cycladic marble.

We start new relationship with a conversation to listen and understand your goals and risk tolerance. Each client is different in envision and risk tolerance, that is why having an advisor that listens first to understand you as an individual is the key. Only after we fully understand your horizons will we seek to advise and recommend strategies to achieve your goals. We consider ourselves to be lifelong expert partners to our clients. We are dedicated to making their goals our highest priority.